Columbines School

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    General Info:

    Our Instructors and Staff:

    Howie Brounstein has taught botany, herbalism, and wildcrafting extensively for decades, including at such herbal establishments as the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine. He is the co-owner and a primary instructor of the Columbines School of Botanical Studies and has a clinical practice in Eugene, Oregon. He is well known for his brilliant in depth teaching style and his passionate love of plants.

    Leah Kays Leah is a 2006 graduate of Columbines School of Botanical Studies and has been involved with the school since. She is an herbalist, botanist, and bartender from Portland, Oregon who has moved from a substitute teacher to a full time Columbines instructor.

    • First Year Lecture Syllabus

    This is a sample syllabus from previous years. The upcoming year will cover similar topics, but with additional lectures providing more depth.

    Field Lectures: Botany and Ecology

    Lecture #1

    • Latin Names
    • Four Whorls of the Flower
    • Leaves and Margins
    • Monocots vs. Dicots
    • Plant List Review
    • Eating Wild Foods
    • Botany Field Reference Sheets
    • Hitchcock Index
    • Hitchcock in Rain
    • Botany Kits

    Lecture #2

    • Plant List Review
    • Wildcrafting Checklist
    • How to Use a Hand Lens

    Lecture #3

    • Oregon Grape Root, Mahonia nervosa, Botany and Ecology
    • Plant List Review
    • Mahonia in Hitchcock
    • Oregon Grape, Mahonia nervosa, Processing
    • Orchidaceae
    • Calypso Orchid, Calypso bulbosa

    Lecture #4

    • Plant List Review
    • Candyflower, Claytonia sibirica
    • Fabaceae
    • Scotch Broom, Cytisus scoparius
    • Underground Parts

    Lecture #5

    • Ceanothus, Ceanothus spp., Identification and Ecology
    • Underground Parts (continued)
    • Plant List Review
    • Succession

    Lecture #6

    • Plant List Review
    • Ranunculus spp.
    • Placentation

    Lecture #7

    • Liliaceae
    • Flower Color
    • Plant Pressing
    • Placentation (continued)

    Lecture #8

    • Oregon Old Growth
    • Plant List Review
    • Liliaceae (continued)

    Lecture #9

    • Plant List Review
    • Liliaceae (continued)
    • Saxifragaceae
    • Grossulariaceae

    Lecture #10

    • Ranunculaceae
    • Ericaceae
    • Vaccinium Chart
    • Kinnikkinnik, Arctostaphylos nevadensis, Ecology
    • Pipsissewa, Chimaphila umbellata, Ecology
    • Manzanita, Arctostaphylos patula, Ecology

    Academic Calendar

    Herbal Concepts and Northwest Materia Medica

    Lecture #1

    • Digestive System Overview
    • Bitters

    Lecture #2

    • GI Tract Review
    • Pancreas, Liver, Gallbladder
    • Bitters Review
    • Alteratives
    • Oregon Grape Root, Mahonia nervosa, Medicinal Uses

    Lecture #3

    • Bitters and Alterative Review
    • Oregon Grape, Mahonia nervosa, Taxonomy
    • Oregon Grape, Mahonia nervosa, Medicinal Uses (continued)

    Lecture #4

    • Bitters and Alterative Review
    • Oregon Grape Root, Mahonia nervosa, Medicinal Uses
    • Made Fresh Oregon Grape Root, Mahonia nervosa, Tincture
    • Lymphatic System

    Lecture #5

    • Bitters and Oregon Grape, Mahonia nervosa, Review
    • Lymphatic System
    • Preparing Tinctures

    Lecture #6

    • Oregon Grape, Mahonia nervosa, Review
    • Aromatics
    • Ceanothus, Ceanothus spp., Uses

    Lecture #7

    • Herbal Concepts Review
    • Demulcents
    • Made Oregon Grape, Mahonia nervosa, and Calendula Flower, Calendula officinalis, Oils

    Lecture #8

    • Herbal Concepts Review
    • Demulcents (continued)
    • Made Marshmallow, Althaea officinalis Tea
    • Glycosides
    • Squeezing Tinctures
    • Astringents

    Lecture #9

    • Herbal Concepts Review
    • Astringents (continued)
    • Urinary Tract
    • Arbutin-like Glycosides

    Lecture #10

    • Nervine Herbs
    • Kinnikkinnik, Arctostaphylos nevadensis, Uses
    • Pipsissewa, Chimaphila umbellata, Uses
    • Manzanita, Arctostaphylos patula, Uses

    Lecture #11

    • Herbal Preparations
    • Teas
    • Syrups
    • Salves

    Lecture #12

    • Misc. Calming Herbs
    • Arnica, Arnica sp.
    • St. John’s Wort, Hypericum perforatum, Harvesting, Ecology, Processing, Uses
    • PA’s and Liver Detoxification Enzymes

    Lecture #13

    • St. John’s Wort, Hypericum perforatum, Uses
    • Yarrow, Achillea millefolium, Ecology, Processing, Uses
    • Made Dried Yarrow, Achillea millefolium, Oil with Alcohol Intermediate
    • Made Comfrey, Symphytum officinale, Oil

    Lecture #14

    • Salicylates
    • Diaphoretics
    • Elephant’s Head, Pedicularis groenlandica, Ecology
    • Parrot’s Beak, Pedicularis racemosa, Ecology
    • Pedicularis spp, Uses
    • Alcohol Dilution Charts
    • Skullcap, Scutellaria spp., Uses

    Lecture #15

    • Oshala, Ligusticum grayi, Uses and Ecology
    • Valerian, Valeriana sitchensis, V. scouleri, Uses and Ecology
    • Made Arnica, Arnica mollis, oil

    Lecture #16

    • Herbal Preparations
    • Made Oshala, Ligusticum grayi, Lozenges
    • Advertised Upcoming Classes
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